A Mother and Her Son
by HeroesOfHufflepuff
Summary: Merope Gaunt has words for the people of the world today. Do you want to know why her son is what he is? Do you want to know how she feels about what has become of all she used to know?


_Hello, young witch, wizard and muggle. I am sure you all know my son Tom Riddle, or what he liked to be called; Lord Voldemort. I'm sure some of you saw how what he grew up to be, saw the destruction he caused and I know most of you blame me. Don't think I'm going to apologize. I was in love with a man and I was in love with my new found freedom. I'm just going to tell you my story. After all, you've heard my son's story, now listen to mine..._

I used to live with my Father, Marvolo Gaunt and his son (my brother) Morfin. We lived in a terrible, filthy house out of the way near a charming little village. As I'm sure you all know; we were descendants of the '_Great Salazar Slytherin' _as my father would yell at me numerous times a day. We were above '_filthy muggles and mudblooded fools'. _As I'm sure you all know I'm a terrible witch, therefore unworthy of the time of my dearest father and darling brother. No, they were far better of hiding me, making me their own personal maid.

And I hated it.

I plotted against my father in my own secret way. I refused to be cruel to muggles and instead decided to treat them as equals... Or I would have should I ever have met one. Whenever I could, I would leave the house while my Father was out and I would watch from the bush as a handsome, brave muggle would ride past on his darling horse. I envied the women he rode with; I envied his town and his life. But I loved him from the very first moment I saw him. And as this muggle, Tom Riddle (yes, the name sake of my son) rode past; I would pretend in my head that we were talking to each other, that he loved me also and that he would one day free me.

I was waiting for Tom to ride home one night when I was very young and foolish. I was sitting on the ledge of the window when my brother found me and watched me as Tom rode past. I begged him not to tell father who was asleep. He didn't, instead he went after my darling Tom Riddle. Instead, Morfin hit him with a horrid jinx that chased my darling Tom away. I have never hated my brother more with one exception. When he told our father.

A man had visited us when Morfin told. I was strangled until Mr Ogden released me. Morfin chased him away after he harmed my father. Morfin turned on me the moment he left. I was bloodied up and in ruins by time the Ministry men arrived; I was shocked to find it had only been fifteen minutes. Both my brother and father had been arrested. I was freed after so many years of day dreaming. I cleaned the house at my leisure, I read books and I made a potion. One of my best ideas yet for it was this potion that would make the man I loved, love me in return.

The potion was a success. I invited Tom into my house for a drink, I slipped the potion in and we talked. And we talked. And we talked. It was hours before he had gone home. The next day, we ran away. A few months later we married. A year after our marriage came my downfall. I stopped giving him the potion, I was certain he loved me; I was so sure he wouldn't leave if I were pregnant. But he did and I was all alone with a few of my father's precious jewels.

For a while I coped. Of course I was devastated and heartbroken, alone with an unwanted baby but I was still able to look after myself with the little fortune we had made. I lasted four/five months when I ran out and went into desperation mode. After another month I had decided the locket would be the first to leave and I fled to the only shop I knew. 'Please, sir. Please this is Salazar Slytherin's locket... How much is it worth?' I begged pulling my filthy rags of clothing around me and looking imploringly into the once friendly mans grey eyes.

'Let me see first, ma'am' he said and went to the back room. I heard curious whispers, the mutterings of spells and joyful whoops. Then silence, a few bangs when he returned looking a little disgruntled. 'How much would you be wanting for this?' he asked holding up the locket that on numerous occasions nearly killed me by the hand of my father. 'Anything' I breathed and he handed me a jingling bag of coins. I thanked him and hurried from the shop. Never to return if I were lucky enough.

Ten galleons never made me feel so rich and so scared. I'd given up my magic, I had to be smart with this money; I had to save it at least until my son was born. It lasted long enough; I had a room, food and water. It was enough to keep me going at least. I hoped my son would live somewhere much better than what we had now. I wanted a better life for my son where I can teach him all I knew, where we could live together. Of course it never did work out that way.

I was exploring the muggle world of London during New Years Eve. I wanted to show my son how beautiful the world could be. The snow bit into me so I made my way home, back to our rented room. I didn't make it; I ran to the closest building, an orphanage and had my son there. It was as I gave birth that I knew I wasn't going to grow up with my son, I was never going to see him age I was going to die; right there, right then. And I accepted that.

A lady, Ms Cole they called her, she was beside my head as the baby left me. 'I hope he looks like his papa' I whispered to her, tears trickling out my eyes. She nodded mutely. 'Please ma'am, his name... Please, his name will be Tom after his father, Marvolo after his grandpapa. His surname will be Riddle, his papa's last name' I gasped to her as cries of my now breathing son filled the room. The cleaned him and handed him to me. I held little Tom in my hands and looking down into his already closed eyes. 'Grow up to be brave my little son, be strong and smart. Be everything I was not' was the last thing I ever said to him, to anyone.

Now I've watched him grow from above, I watched him change and grow like nobody ever cared about him, like he never cared for anything. I watched him become cold, his soul become shrouded in complete darkness, I watched my son grow to murder. And people blame me. I was desperate, I was scared and I was unprepared. I had no one but my unborn child, I was forced to live hidden away practically all my life and I had no one help me, to save me or to guide me.

I couldn't stop what my son became; I couldn't help his victims as I became an outcast. People spit at my name, people assume I wanted this for my son, knew it would happen. I didn't, I thought he would be like his papa, not mine. I wanted the best for him; I wanted him to be happy. Is it my fault he was raised without love? If I remember correctly, Harry Potter grew without love, did he not? Why was it my sons fault if he took if for granted that no one could ever love him? He didn't have the strength to think otherwise, he didn't have the imagination to think there might be a chance.

_I'm sorry if you find this a waste of time, witch, wizard or muggle. I'm sorry if my son murdered someone you knew and loved. But why am I to blame? If you died early and you watched as your child became a monster, do you want people blaming you? Do you want to be exiled like you were all your life? Judge me all you want, I've had my say, my story is told and now I can rest._


End file.
